Monthly Archives: January 2017

The next meeting of the Androscoggin Beekeepers Club (ABC) will be held Wednesday, February 8th, Club business will be conducted from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM followed by the presentation.

We will be visiting with, Maine’s new Apiarist, Jennifer Lund. Ms. Lund will speak to the group on how Maine’s Apiary program helps prevent the introduction and spread of regulated honey bee diseases, parasites, and undesirable genetic material in resident and migratory honey bee colonies. The meeting will be held at the vestry building of the West Auburn Congregational Church, 811 West Auburn Rd, Auburn, ME 04210. All are welcome.

Jennifer Lund has a Master’s degree in Entomology from the University of Maine and has almost 20 years of entomological experience. Before becoming the State Apiarist, Jennifer was a research technician in the entomology department at the University of Maine in Orono.

Some of the honeybee projects she has worked on over the years include a national colony collapse disorder study, honeybee colony health comparisons of top bar and Langstrom hives, integrated Varroa mite control effectiveness, the role of honeybees as vectors of blueberry disease, sub-lethal effects on colonies to low level pesticide exposure, and health of migratory hives arriving in the State of Maine for blueberry pollination. Jennifer is passionate about honeybee health and helping beekeepers succeed. Aside from managing the honeybee inspection program and helping Maine beekeepers protect their hives, Jennifer also has several of her own hives that she maintains on her farm in Arglye Township, Maine.Upcoming Events:

April 9th:David Spicer, President, Knox-Lincoln Beekeepers. Master bee-keeper and co-owner of Spicer Bees, a firm founded when Rick Cooper retired, to offer his same services to the mid-coast and central Maine. Topic TBA, but David was the organizer of the MSBA conferences for the last two years. http://spicerbees.com/ [207 549-5480, spicertree@aol.com ]

For more information about the Androscoggin Beekeepers Club, please visit our website at http://androscogginbeekeepers.org.

The next meeting of the Androscoggin Beekeepers Club (ABC) will be held Wednesday, January 11, 2017 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the vestry of the West Auburn Congregational Church, 811 West Auburn Road, Auburn, ME 04210.

Last year we tried a new meeting format, of a bee-themed potluck supper. People seemed to enjoy it, and we are proposing another potluck for our January 11th meeting. If you can, bring something with honey as an ingredient, but come even if you haven’t got the energy or ingredients to cook; there will be plenty. Bill will provide a main dish, and if you can, let him know what you intend to bring: whiss@bates.edu. The supper will be in our usual meeting spot, the vestry building of the West Auburn Congregational Church, 811 West Auburn Road. The vestry has a large cook stove, so easy to warm something up. We will also have our usual business meeting, to hear how people’s hives are doing.

To give you a sense of what’s on tap throughout the rest of Winter 2017, here’s what Bill has lined up for us:

Feb. 8th:Jennifer Lund, Maine State Apiarist. That’s right! Following the recent retirement of Tony Jadzack, Maine now has a new state apiarist. Jennifer has accepted an invitation to come out and speak with our Club. Even is you are a causal attendee to the ABC meetings, this is one you won’t want to miss.

April 9th:David Spicer, President, Knox-Lincoln Beekeepers. Master bee-keeper and co-owner of Spicer Bees, a firm founded when Rick Cooper retired, to offer his same services to the mid-coast and central Maine. Topic TBA, but David was the organizer of the MSBA conferences for the last two years. http://spicerbees.com/ [207 549-5480, spicertree@aol.com ]